MaxHear
Built for the setting most owners never find
AirPods Pro 2 Reviews & Alternative, Tuned vs Untuned
The FDA authorized Apple's Hearing Aid software for AirPods Pro 2 on 12 September 2024 — the first over-the-counter hearing aid software it had ever cleared. Independent lab testing shows why the one setting inside it matters so much: speech-in-quiet scores 1.8 out of 5 with the feature left at its defaults, and 3.8 out of 5 once you run Apple's built-in hearing test to calibrate it. Speech-in-noise goes from 0.8 to 2.6 the same way.
If you already own AirPods Pro 2, you already own the headphones MaxHear needs. MaxHear is a sound amplifier app for iPhone and Android that works through whatever headphones you have — AirPods included — so you can compare the two directly, for free, before deciding which one you actually want to rely on.
Free to try with no account, no email and no card. Headphones required.
"I first noticed it when my grandkids started saying, 'Grandma, I already told you!' I felt terrible because I really wasn't ignoring them. I just didn't catch everything."
Susan M., 60 — Raleigh, NC · MaxHear userWhat testers found — and the gap between "out of the box" and "actually set up"
HearAdvisor's independent lab puts the AirPods Pro 2 Hearing Aid feature at a grade B, SoundScore 3.6/5, ranked #27 of 63 OTC devices overall — but that single number hides the most important fact about it. We read Techlicious's full hands-on review, by tech journalist Stewart Wolpin, and Consumer Reports' published testing, checked 18 August 2026.
Techlicious's Stewart Wolpin, testing the feature directly, put it plainly:
"I found they are very much a v1.0 product, with the usual first-generation compromises."
Stewart Wolpin, Techlicious — hands-on review"It took me a couple of days to discover all the settings and features."
Stewart Wolpin, Techlicious — hands-on review"I found and even turned off — after some lengthy Settings drilling — the AirPods' 'Loud Sound Reduction.'"
Stewart Wolpin, Techlicious — hands-on reviewConsumer Reports' own testing landed on a similar split: it called the feature "very easy to use" for initial setup, but found it "unable to meet FDA requirements for amplifying lower-pitched sounds" and noted "much more harmonic distortion and noisy interference created in loud environments." Your own voice, Wolpin wrote, "doesn't sound natural" and can turn "muddy and warbly" once more than two people are talking.
The finding worth knowing before you rely on this: the whole feature lives or dies on one setting almost nobody surfaces for you
HearAdvisor's lab data makes the case better than any single review can: untuned, the AirPods Pro 2 barely register as a hearing aid for speech — 1.8 out of 5 in quiet, 0.8 out of 5 in noise. Run Apple's built-in hearing test once, and the scores rise to 3.8 in quiet and 2.6 in noise — more than double and more than triple, respectively. That's not a small tweak; it's the difference between a device that doesn't really work for conversation and one that performs meaningfully better, even if it still isn't the top of the category. And yet Techlicious's own reviewer — someone paid to find every setting — needed "a couple of days" to locate them, buried across Settings, the Health app and Control Center with no dedicated guide. Most casual AirPods owners who turn on "Hearing Aid" from a headline never see that screen at all.
What it costs, and what's included
The hearing aid feature itself is a free software update — the cost is the hardware.
| What | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| AirPods Pro 2, per pair | $244.89–$249 | Consumer Reports / retail listings |
| Hearing Aid software feature | free (iOS 18+ update) | Apple |
| Battery, mixed use | 5–6 hours | Techlicious |
| Charge time (case, USB-C) | 0.5 hour | Consumer Reports |
| Return window (as a hearing aid purchase) | 14 days | Consumer Reports |
| MaxHear | free to find out, then the plan is shown in the app | — |
Original Medicare covers neither hearing aids nor the exams used to fit them — a $249 pair of AirPods is still a real out-of-pocket cost if you don't already own them. If you do, the feature itself doesn't add to that price at all.
AirPods Pro 2's Hearing Aid feature vs MaxHear
Not really either/or — MaxHear runs through the AirPods you may already own.
| What matters | MaxHear Sound amplifier app | AirPods Pro 2 FDA-authorized hearing aid feature |
|---|---|---|
| Extra hardware needed | No, if you have any headphones Works with AirPods, Bluetooth, or wired | Yes, specifically AirPods Pro 2 or Pro 3, no other model |
| Setup | Open the app, start listening No settings to hunt for | A built-in hearing test, easy to miss Techlicious: took "a couple of days" to find all the settings |
| Speech clarity, out of the box | Not lab-tested A general-purpose amplifier, not a clinical device | Weak untuned (1.8/5 quiet, 0.8/5 noise) HearAdvisor — before running the hearing test |
| Speech clarity, after calibration | — | 3.8/5 quiet, 2.6/5 noise (HearAdvisor) A real improvement, if you find the setting |
| All-day wear | Whatever your headphones allow MaxHear itself has no battery to drain | Limited 5–6 hrs, below dedicated hearing aids' 12–16+ hrs |
| Cost | 3 days free to try, then the plan is shown in the app Nothing new to buy | Free feature, $249 hardware If you don't already own AirPods Pro 2 |
If you already own AirPods Pro 2, running the hearing test costs nothing and, per this lab data, is worth doing regardless of what else you try. If you're deciding whether to buy a pair specifically for this, testing whether amplification helps you at all with MaxHear first — through headphones you already have — answers that question before you spend $249.
Why people check MaxHear before buying AirPods Pro 2 for this
Chosen from what actually recurs in the lab data and reviews above — not a generic list.
Nothing buried to hunt for
No calibration screen hidden three menus deep. MaxHear opens straight into live amplification, no built-in hearing test required first.
Works with the headphones you already have
Older AirPods, other wireless earbuds, or wired headphones don't get Apple's feature at all. MaxHear runs through any of them.
Nothing extra to keep charged
MaxHear has no separate hearing-aid battery to manage — it uses whatever charge your phone and headphones already have.
Live adjustment while you listen
MaxHear's four-band equalizer — bass, voice, clarity, treble — is meant to be tuned by ear, in the moment, with a reset button if something sounds off.
Which one is actually right for you
These two aren't strictly competing — here's how they actually split.
Your loss is beyond what a self-fit feature covers
Severe or profound loss, one-ear loss, or conductive/mixed loss needs a professional. Go promptly if loss came on suddenly or you have ear pain, discharge, dizziness or ringing.
You already own them and will run the hearing test
Free once you have the hardware, FDA-authorized, and the lab-topping scores are real — but only if you find and complete the calibration step most owners miss.
You want to test first, with headphones you already have
Whether that's AirPods, older AirPods, or any other pair, MaxHear lets you find out whether amplification helps at all before buying anything new.
A ten-minute check, whichever headphones you use
Do this before you buy AirPods specifically for the hearing feature, or before you trust the untuned default.
Write down your three hardest moments
The restaurant table, the phone call, the TV at family dinners. Specific beats "I can't hear well."
Grab headphones you already own
AirPods, another Bluetooth pair, or wired — whatever you have, no new hardware needed to test the question.
Start in a quiet room, level low
The app opens quiet on purpose — you set the level, with one person talking to you.
Then test your actual worst room
The kitchen mid-cooking, or a café at lunch. That's the situation you're really solving for.
Judge it on one thing
Are you asking people to repeat themselves less? If yes, you've learned amplification helps — and if you own AirPods Pro 2, go run their hearing test next.
FAQ: AirPods Pro 2 as a hearing aid, reviews and alternatives
Are AirPods Pro 2 actually FDA-authorized hearing aids?
Yes, for the software feature specifically. The FDA authorized Apple's Hearing Aid software for AirPods Pro 2 (and later Pro 3) on 12 September 2024 under its De Novo pathway — the first over-the-counter hearing aid software the agency had ever cleared. It requires iOS 18 or later.
Why do lab scores for the AirPods hearing feature vary so much?
HearAdvisor's testing found a large gap between default and calibrated performance: speech in quiet scores 1.8 out of 5 untuned versus 3.8 out of 5 after running Apple's built-in hearing test, and speech in noise goes from 0.8 to 2.6 the same way. Most published reviews and casual owner impressions reflect whichever state they tested in.
How long does the battery last while using the hearing feature?
About 5–6 hours with mixed use, per Techlicious's testing — noticeably short of the 12–16+ hours dedicated hearing aids typically offer, which matters if you need help all day rather than in specific moments.
Do I need new AirPods, or can I use the ones I already have?
Apple's Hearing Aid feature only works on AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 — older AirPods models don't support it. MaxHear, by contrast, works through whatever headphones you already own, including older AirPods.
Can an app replace a hearing aid?
No, and MaxHear doesn't claim to. It's a sound amplifier app, not a medical device, and isn't authorized as a hearing aid the way Apple's AirPods Pro 2 feature is. Its purpose is answering whether amplification helps you at all, for free, before you spend anything on hardware.
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Stop asking people to repeat themselves
Install MaxHear, connect the headphones you already own, and hear the next conversation clearly.